Looking for recommendations to buy Bike Front and Rear lights
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Looking for recommendations to buy Bike Front and Rear lights
Postby Redfin » Tue Nov 21, 2017 11:02 pm
I was looking for recommendations for buying front and rear lights for my Scott Road Bike.
Need something around $60 and needs to be bright so that I am visible and also so I can see ahead of me.
Any recommendations would be highly appreciated.
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Re: Looking for recommendations to buy Bike Front and Rear lights
Postby RobertL » Wed Nov 22, 2017 11:07 am
Basically, though, almost any rear light is going to be OK.
Front lights depend on where you ride and how well lit it is. I use a 100 lumen light for all general commuting and riding duties - including pre-dawn and post-sunset rides.
I had to upgrade to a 680 lumen front light when I started riding Mt Coot-tha at night here in Brisbane regularly. It's poorly lit and I needed better lighting for the descent.
Then I see plenty of MTBers up there who have far, far more powerful lighting than that, on their bikes and on their helmets.
- g-boaf
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Re: Looking for recommendations to buy Bike Front and Rear lights
Postby g-boaf » Wed Nov 22, 2017 10:07 pm
Rear lights, Moon tend to do very good ones.
- Kev365428
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Re: Looking for recommendations to buy Bike Front and Rear lights
Postby Kev365428 » Thu Nov 23, 2017 8:48 am
Might be time for an upgrade.
Kev.
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Re: Looking for recommendations to buy Bike Front and Rear lights
Postby g-boaf » Thu Nov 23, 2017 9:02 am
I think you can just buy replacement lights or batteries. Used to be able to anyway.Kev365428 wrote:I've had my Ay-Ups for about 6 years now, and whilst they were great to start off with, lately I've started to notice that the beam isn't penetrating like it once used to. Maybe the battery is getting old, or the LED is degrading, but I'm sure it isn't as powerful as it once was.
Might be time for an upgrade.
Kev.
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Re: Looking for recommendations to buy Bike Front and Rear lights
Postby find_bruce » Thu Nov 23, 2017 9:47 am
While its possible for the LEDs to degrade, bike lights aren't used enough to get anywhere near the typical life - 30,000 hours IIRC. The battery will have deteriorated over time, but Ay-Ups don't get dimmer as the battery voltage drops (some other lights do)Kev365428 wrote:I've had my Ay-Ups for about 6 years now, and whilst they were great to start off with, lately I've started to notice that the beam isn't penetrating like it once used to. Maybe the battery is getting old, or the LED is degrading, but I'm sure it isn't as powerful as it once was.
Might be time for an upgrade.
Kev.
What I suspect has happened is that one of the components in the control circuit is dying - . With the Ay-Ups that circuit is in the battery case, so a new battery should fix it - can you borrow a good battery from someone?
Of course it could be your eyes - they are getting older too you know
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Re: Looking for recommendations to buy Bike Front and Rear lights
Postby andrewjcw » Thu Nov 23, 2017 9:58 am
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Re: Looking for recommendations to buy Bike Front and Rear lights
Postby hamishm » Thu Nov 23, 2017 1:50 pm
Maybe, but some are much better than others. I spent more than the $60 budget on a rear light alone - Cygolite Hotshot Pro 150. If you want to be seen during day (which I recommend) then get something like that, or the Bontrager Flare R, or some other light designed for daylight running.RobertL wrote:Basically, though, almost any rear light is going to be OK.
- mogwaiboi
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Re: Looking for recommendations to buy Bike Front and Rear lights
Postby mogwaiboi » Thu Nov 23, 2017 8:16 pm
https://www.bikebug.com/moon-shield-x-a ... 70718.html
https://www.trekbikes.com/au/en_AU/equi ... t/p/13202/
For the front I guess it comes down to how long your rides are going to be in the dark. In my opinion you want a minimum of 500W. I had a 500W Moon light but that was at max output and it only lasted an hour. I ended up getting the Moon Meteor Storm Pro 1700W as I wanted a light to last 3 hours at least in winter for PM rides. That way I can run this in 800W mode for around 5 hours. It is a bit heavy , but for training after work, who cares. My second choice was the Cateye Volt 1200. I have heard good things about the Bontrager Ion 800 R as well. I had Ayups but I wasn't a fan of the external battery pack.
http://www.this link is broken.au/moon-meteor-st ... ont-light/
https://www.bikebug.com/cateye-volt1200 ... 35649.html
https://www.trekbikes.com/au/en_AU/equi ... t/p/14302/
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Re: Looking for recommendations to buy Bike Front and Rear lights
Postby Kev365428 » Sat Nov 25, 2017 7:55 pm
I deny that I am getting older.find_bruce wrote:Of course it could be your eyes - they are getting older too you know
It must be the battery, or the LED, or the increase in particulates in the air, or daylight savings, or the CIA, but it ain't my eyes.
Kev.
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Re: Looking for recommendations to buy Bike Front and Rear lights
Postby warthog1 » Sun Nov 26, 2017 9:58 pm
Kev365428 wrote:I deny that I am getting older.find_bruce wrote:Of course it could be your eyes - they are getting older too you know
It must be the battery, or the LED, or the increase in particulates in the air, or daylight savings, or the CIA, but it ain't my eyes.
Kev.
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Re: Looking for recommendations to buy Bike Front and Rear lights
Postby Dreams V Reallity » Sun Nov 26, 2017 11:57 pm
"I deny that I am getting older." Try: "To get older is compulsory, to grow up is optional"
Still Dreaming.
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Re: Looking for recommendations to buy Bike Front and Rear lights
Postby BugsBunny » Tue Nov 28, 2017 2:07 pm
For the rear light, I highly recommend the Bontrager Flare R. The downside is that the flap to close off the micro USB charging port is susceptible to water ingress that will render the light useless. So in heavy rain, you need to add some tape to protect it. Its unfortunate as otherwise its a fantastic light. The pro's are that the battery power if REALLY long in comparison to other rear lights. And lastly, its highly visible during the day time - which I believe adds a big safety buffer.
As for the fronts, the optics really make a difference. Not all lights look as bright or have as much usable light - even if the lumen numbers are the same. The two I recommend at the Cateye Volt 800 and the Bontrager ION 800.
Both are a bit over your budget, but you do get a lot more for the money.
Bugs
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Re: Looking for recommendations to buy Bike Front and Rear lights
Postby kenwstr » Tue Nov 28, 2017 10:52 pm
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I9RwYVrIw30
This is a truly attention grabbing tail light despite it's 1/2 watts.
It has an usual flash cycle that is impossible to not notice.
The downside is the clip is a bit prone to fail if the road is rough enough to jerk it around a lot.
Apart from that, it's been very reliable.
My headlight is a Bontrager Ion2 headlight. This has a very high flash rate that gets attention without blinding other road users. However it has been a trial trying to get it to work reliably until I finally sprayed electrical contact cleaner into it. Now it's fine but it used to have continuity issues and would go dim or completely fail even though the batteries were fine. It works great now though.
I mostly only ride in daylight and these are the lights I use for that.
Would I recommend them? Well, they are great while they work but in my experience many bike lights fail in some way or other. I have had better reliability from a light I bought at Coles than bicycle branded ones and some real duds as well. Seen some glowing reviews in bike mags but the reality is they were reviewed when new, do they last? Clips and mounts tend to fail frequently so it seems to me a lucky dip. Price doesn't appear to improve the odds either and I have a drawer full of broken lights.
I also have an Aldi headlight which is way brighter and is OK at night but hardly ever do that. It has a separate battery pack so not as convenient but in the country, you are going to need serious light at night. I have to say that as a driver I really passionately hate the lights some cyclists use. Absolutely blinding, I mean I can't see if there is anything on the road in front of me for the blinding glare they put out. Worse than a truck on high beam with driving lights some of them.
Ken
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Re: Looking for recommendations to buy Bike Front and Rear lights
Postby fat and old » Wed Nov 29, 2017 6:24 am
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